A Note from the director
Macbeth is Shakespeare’s horror movie. In this production, I wanted to preserve that feeling of sinister grittiness so rarely associated with performances of Shakespeare. To accomplish this, the costumes and props have been modernized, and the soundtrack of the show draws from the hard rock music of the 1980s and 1990s. Invoking drugs, sex, and rock n’ roll, from classics like Guns n’ Roses to the fear of satanic messages hidden in backtracking, the soundscape of the play resonates with the darkness of Shakespeare’s text.
This script was created from my own transcription of the Norton Facsimile of the First Folio (2nd Edition), which was then compared against the Arden Third Series text of Macbeth and The Complete Works (edited by Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor, Oxford, 2005). Cuts and edits were then made with the intention of reducing the run time of the play, clarifying the action, and creating a cast of recognizable and coherent characters. Material was also cut based on scholarship concerning the authorship of the play. The First Folio (1623) is the earliest text of Macbeth that we have, but the show most likely premiered in 1606. Based on material in the text that references plays not written until 1613 or later, modern scholarship concludes that the play was heavily revised, most likely by Thomas Middleton, around 1616. Based on the scholarship of Gary Taylor and others, I have done my best to remove the Middleton text, most heavily affecting the characters of the Weird Sisters. Without Middleton’s text, they become much more ambiguous; I leave it to you, the audience, to interpret who and what they may be in this production.
I would like to thank Kat, and the Washington Hall staff, for allowing us to use this space, providing invaluable tech advice, and acting as our resident hard/punk rock and heavy/hair metal expert. Thank you to Scott Jackson and Shakespeare at Notre Dame for their support in everything from acting coaching, directorial advice, and use of props. And finally, thank you to The Not-so-Royal Shakespeare Company for making this show a reality. Without Nick managing the stage like a pro, Lydia, Morgan, Caitlin, Mary Elsa, Z, Laura, Connor, and the wonderful cast of this show, this production would not have happened. Thank you, everyone.
Michael Vaclav
This script was created from my own transcription of the Norton Facsimile of the First Folio (2nd Edition), which was then compared against the Arden Third Series text of Macbeth and The Complete Works (edited by Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor, Oxford, 2005). Cuts and edits were then made with the intention of reducing the run time of the play, clarifying the action, and creating a cast of recognizable and coherent characters. Material was also cut based on scholarship concerning the authorship of the play. The First Folio (1623) is the earliest text of Macbeth that we have, but the show most likely premiered in 1606. Based on material in the text that references plays not written until 1613 or later, modern scholarship concludes that the play was heavily revised, most likely by Thomas Middleton, around 1616. Based on the scholarship of Gary Taylor and others, I have done my best to remove the Middleton text, most heavily affecting the characters of the Weird Sisters. Without Middleton’s text, they become much more ambiguous; I leave it to you, the audience, to interpret who and what they may be in this production.
I would like to thank Kat, and the Washington Hall staff, for allowing us to use this space, providing invaluable tech advice, and acting as our resident hard/punk rock and heavy/hair metal expert. Thank you to Scott Jackson and Shakespeare at Notre Dame for their support in everything from acting coaching, directorial advice, and use of props. And finally, thank you to The Not-so-Royal Shakespeare Company for making this show a reality. Without Nick managing the stage like a pro, Lydia, Morgan, Caitlin, Mary Elsa, Z, Laura, Connor, and the wonderful cast of this show, this production would not have happened. Thank you, everyone.
Michael Vaclav